POLITICS: INSIDER: Bezos reportedly seeks more conservative writers for WaPo in mission to restore trust

The reported rationale for Jeff Bezos’s endorsement snub did little to quell the mass exodus as he slammed his own paper’s “fall in credibility.”

Despite the rampant Trump Derangement Syndrome in corporate media offices across the nation, the negatives of Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy have inspired an increasing number of outlets to opt out of issuing a presidential endorsement.

As billionaire Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and the owner of the Washington Post took aim at media bias following a decision by the newspaper to remain ostensibly neutral on the race between Harris and former President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported that the rationale was an appeal to conservative readers.

As detailed by the Gray Lady, Bezos “is interested in expanding The Post’s audience among conservatives” and conveyed to the newspaper’s chief executive officer, Will Lewis, “that he wants more conservative writers on the opinion section.”

In his own op-ed for the paper, Lewis made clear, “The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election. We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.”

He went on to state, “We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. That is inevitable.”

“We don’t see it that way,” added Lewis who took responsibility for the decision. “We see it as consistent with the values the Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects.”

However, as had been reported, amid backlash that prompted more than 200,000 subscription cancelations, amounting to more than 8% according to NPR, Bezos decried the prevalent bias in media.

“We must be accurate, and we must be believed to be accurate. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we are failing on the second requirement,” he wrote. “Most people believe the media is biased. Anyone who doesn’t see this is paying scant attention to reality, and those who fight reality lose. Reality is an undefeated champion.”

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‘Based’: Bezos delivers ‘hard truth’ about WaPo’s lack of ‘credibility,’ refusal to back Kamala https://t.co/yeFjMTN5hf via @BIZPACReview

— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) October 29, 2024

He also noted, “In the annual public surveys about trust and reputation, journalists and the media have regularly fallen near the very bottom, often just above Congress. But in this year’s Gallup poll, we have managed to fall below Congress. Our profession is now the least trusted of all. Something we are doing is clearly not working.”

“Lack of credibility isn’t unique to The Post,” the billionaire pointed out. “Our brethren newspapers have the same issue. And it’s a problem not only for the media but also for the nation. Many people are turning to off-the-cuff podcasts, inaccurate social media posts, and other unverified news sources, which can quickly spread misinformation and deepen divisions. The Washington Post and the New York Times win prizes, but increasingly we talk only to a certain elite. More and more, we talk to ourselves.”

In addition to fleeing subscribers, NPR detailed that at least two columnists had resigned from the paper while writers stepped down from the editorial board.

Seemingly supporting the case of media bias, Molly Roberts detailed her reason for stepping down in a statement Monday that contended, “The imperative to endorse Kamala Harris over Donald Trump is about as morally clear as it gets. Worse, our silence is exactly what Donald Trump wants: for the media, for us, to keep quiet.”

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— Molly Roberts (@mollylroberts) October 28, 2024

Similarly, it was reported that writers at the Los Angeles Times had resigned when the newspaper also opted out of endorsing a presidential nominee.